Sniper

That had to be quoted a second time. It also holds true for the swamp in DC.

Well... it's time to pay the piper. It must have been nice for these people, they didn't have to pay their rent or college loans for over a year and a half. Gave them lots of spare cash for DoorDash. What happens next week? ......"New Jersey's moratorium on evictions is scheduled to lift Saturday after the state prevented most families from being displaced for the past year and nine months with some of the strongest protections in the country as a public health measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. Landlords will be able to evict low-income tenants who miss or are late with January's rent, though it's unclear how long the court process will take — judges face a backlog of close to 52,000 landlord-tenant cases as of the end of November. https://www.app.com/story/news/new-jersey/2021/12/30/eviction-moratorium-new-jersey-renters-ends-january-1/8806370002/

Just a Public Service reminder. You only have a few days left to get into this game, and purchase up to $10K in savings bonds to get that 7.12%. Then, in the beginning of January, you can purchase up to another $10K. The reports recently are that higher inflation is with us for a while, so this rate should stay up.

That's why you need some goats, they're more reliable. Why didn't you move there instead of the other neighborhood? After all, didn't Zeke get it all fixed up for you..

NRA? Who are they, some ghost organization?

Not sure who you have for a provider, but in many neighborhoods there are switches, amplifiers, etc. that are powered off of the local power lines. If you look at telephone poles as you drive around, you'll see metal boxes mounted on some, some with green indicator lights, getting power right there. When the local power goes out, they do too, killing Internet, phone and cable service to that section of the neighborhood. During Sandy, our neighborhood was on Cablevision, and everything went out. A day or two later, I see a car and a guy parked by one of those poles with a portable generator, feeding that box, so they could get local service going.

So, during Hurricane Sandy, getting additional gas/diesel was really easy and plentiful, right? Oh wait, the gas stations had no power and couldn't pump.... oops... I bet it works really well for you sitting in the box, right?

Another use for those backup 20lb tanks is as a heat source. You can get a tank mounted heater, which you can use to heat other areas of your house that the wood stove doesn't reach. And since the tank is portable, you can use it to heat different rooms or basement, to help keep pipes from freezing or just take the chill off. Here's a example of that heater: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mr-Heater-15-000-BTU-Single-Tank-Top-Radiant-Heater-MH15T/304906557

Ya know.... a propane generator eliminates all that gas, stabilization, ethanol, storage, rotation, gunking, draining issues... Jus sayin...

Keep in mind, your generator might not keep you connected to the Internet. Depending on who your provider is Comcast, Cablevision, FIOS), in a area wide outage cable TV and Internet goes down, as many of the local switches and amplifiers lose power. You could power up your modem/router in your house from the genny, but no signal might be getting to your house. So you should plan on losing cable TV and Internet from your normal source. If your TV comes from a system like Dish, you can power up the cable box with the genny, and should get channels, but I doubt you'd want to run the 9kW genny for hours just to watch a movie. So, your other choice for Internet/email would be to hotspot from your cellphone. Depending on the cell signal you receive at your house, and tower locations, will depend on how strong of a connection you might have. In many cases, the cell phone companies can keep the service up for days, based on their generator/battery bank capabilities for each tower location. Also keep in mind, if you need to use your phone's hotspot, you'll be burning through data, as your WiFi connection to your router will not exist. So, for instance, if you hotspot a Smart TV to your phone to watch a Netflix movie, expect your data usage to really spike. I hope you have a great data plan.

Yep

So, you're optimistic that during an extended power outage, fuel trucks will be available to just run up to your house a "couple times a week"?

Looking at the specs for that generator, learning how to cycle run times and save fuel is going to be a important strategy. You said you have a 50 gal. propane tank. The specs recommends a 40 lb tank which will last 9 hours. Or 7 gallons of gas will last 11 hours. If you have an extended power outage, you're going to need a bunch of fuel.

Make sure he gives you a good tutorial and you understand the "loads" on the system. This sounds like it's going to power your complete panel. If you're going to power your range, your septic pump, water heater (I'll assume it's electric), boiler pump, micro, etc., make sure it's sized correctly. Anything with a heating element or motor can draw some high amps, compared to lights and TVs, and you could exceed that 30 amps with a few items running.

Actually, there's a lot of ways to cook on a grill, besides "grilling". I cook a lot of things in foil, like french fries, vegetables, whole potatoes, etc. We've used a pan to grill peppers and onions for sausage and peppers. We wrap corn on the cob in foil and bake it. We reheat items in foil pans, like stuff that people bring for Thanksgiving (stuffing, beans, sweet potatoes, etc.). Like I mentioned before, even baked a pizza. I wrap ribs or pork loins in foil, and bake them on the grill. You can pretty much bake anything you do in an oven on the grill. I haven't tried baking cookies yet... Another fallback way to cook without a stove or oven is with wood. If you have any wooded areas or firewood nearby(from your stove), you can make a easy meal that the Scouts used to do, called "pocket stews". All you need are the hot coals from burning wood, then you take your meat of choice (beef, chicken, pork or fish) and cube it up. Then take a whole potato or any type of potato, and cube it up, then any vegetable like carrots, onions, peppers, squash, etc. and cut them up. Then take a piece of aluminum foil, put the meat, potato and veggies on the foil, fold it up into a pouch, season it to taste, and place the pouch on the coals. Give it 10 minutes, flip the pouch, and another 10 minutes, and you have an "all-in-one" meal, ready to eat! Best part, virtually no clean up, toss the foil in the trash!

That's a good choice. Did you get a interlock, that powers your complete panel, or a transfer switch, that powers certain circuits? This is a transfer switch: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Reliance-Controls-30-Amp-250-Volt-7500-Watt-Non-Fuse-6-Circuit-Transfer-Switch-Kit-3006HDK/202213700 That was even a BETTER choice. It's all about options. Plus, you won't have to worry about stale fuel or gummed up carburators when running propane, and propane never goes bad. What size is it? That's also a great plan. If you have a electric range (which are usually 240 volt) that's going to be tough to run, unless you have a big generator that can power it. Cooking on the woodstove is a good option. But also consider, what if it's not cold and the woodstove isn't running, how will you cook without power? Or. if you're cycling the genny, your microwave won't be usable at certain times. If you have propane, a camping cookstove is an option or propane grill. You can also run the camping stoves on small portable tanks. I have a gas range, so stovetop isn't an issue, but oven is a no go. During Sandy, I was baking pizza and baking other things on my propane barbecue grill. I also have portable propane camp stoves and grills as backup. How about hot water, is your tank electric or gas. If electric, it's also 240 volt, which takes some power to heat water, and needs to be considered in the plan.

I had a neighbor during Sandy running his generator all day long, a 6kW unit, from like 8 AM to 11 PM, to keep primarily his lights on. The amount of gas he burned through was huge, since we were without power 8 days, then a few days later, lost it another 4 days with that snow storm. With my system (I have a 3.2kW propane genny), I cycled it a few times a day, and was getting like at least 3 days per 20 lb normal propane tank. It was easy to have backup propane tanks, since they're easy to find, all over the place.

By "installed", what do you mean? Are you getting a transfer switch/panel installed at your main electrical panel? Is it gas or propane? I'm not a big fan of generators (although they are a necessary evil), since it's a piece of mechanical equipment which can malfunction, so that's why I use the battery bank as my first "go-to". I also have a second dual fuel generator and have the generator on the RV as a backup. I can also generate power with a inverter by running my truck, so once again, redundancy....

This is something that really isn't being talked about. We hear about the ships sitting off the coast of CA, but there are hickups throughout the system. Shortages of parts and pieces and basic chemicals is holding up the production of all types of products. One item missing (like a door hinge) can delay the finishing of a fridge. Lack of a particular base chemical can delay production of shampoo, shortage of fertilizer slows up the growth of vegetables.... situations like that are rampant throughout the product and services industries. And all predictions, it's going to continue through the majority of 2022. Now with Omicron, MORE staff shortages, company slowdowns, vax firings, etc. will only make it worse.

WATER - another important area and one that needs redundancy and backup systems. If people are on city water, they usually have some time, since municipal water usually keeps flowing... for a while. So having backup water available is the next step. We had city water the whole time during Sandy, but eventually their generators and purifying systems might have issues, so Plan B is in order. If on a well, then that brings some difficulty. Power is needed to run a well pump, and to keep a generator running all day, so you can wash your hands or flush the toilet, isn't practical. So, having storage containers that can be filled at the time the generator/well is running is necessary. Then, you can go to the containers for normal water needs. Having cases of water bottles is one of the best solutions, and cases of water are relatively cheap. Plus, if you drink bottled water during the day, you're rotate your stock all the time. Filling some of the bigger 5 gallon plastic water containers or even a water bob in the tub can give longer term water storage. If there is a swimming pool nearby, this is a great source of water for general use of washing, flushing, cooking and even drinking if it says clear. Then, if it gets more dire, having a manual hand pump and filter system, so you can fill containers from other water source (stream or lake), is next. Some of the backpacker water filtration/ pumps work well in this situation. We used them many times on remote camping. You can get iodine and purification tablets as a last resort. I've never used them (luckly) so I don't know how well they work. Also, if someone feels resourceful, a rainwater collection system from the roof, can be put together. Once again this can be good for watering gardens, etc., but needs filtration to make drinkable. The backpacker pump/filter can be used here. Of course, this system is depended on it raining, which is no guarantee. But I think, if it comes down to having to drink rainwater, we will be in Mad Max territory, and all bets are off.

That is the first really good step, since power is usually the most important of all the items. So being able to plan/run important electrical items has to be a first concern. But, as you see, those few items don't require a lot of power. Too many people go out and buy a 5Kw generator, and burn through tons of gas, just to keep a few lights on. Then, that requires LARGE amounts of stored gas. Unfortunately, that's not realistic. I'm actually glad we went through Hurricane Sandy, I gave me the opportunity to test and refine my systems/plans and see where there were "voids" in the plan. What I do for power is, first, I have a battery bank and inverters, and they power lights, charge cell phones and laptops, and other low power items. Then, periodically, I fire up one of my generators, to primarily cool back down the refrigerators and top off the batteries. I only need to run the generator like a hour or so, and that's only a few times a day. If it's cold, I can also cycle the furnace at that same time, to take the chill off. I've also ran the washer and dryer at that time. The key is to make use of all available power for that short time period, then shut off the genny and save fuel (and all the genny noise). Nothing attracts people better than a generator running during a quiet blackout. I also have solar panels, so I can top off the batteries and run some items from them too.

Ha... I'm a good Boy Scout When I was running my son's Boy Scout troop as Scoutmaster, I was the merit badge instructor for First Aid, Personal Management, Wilderness Survival, Orienteering, Emergency Preparedness, Camping and a few others. It wouldn't have been a good picture, if the instructor fails in those areas...

Another important piece of the puzzle, when figuring out backup methods and systems is how to survive on minimal amounts of each. You can throw a lot of money to build redundancies, but those will be tough to keep going for an extended time. It's better to be able to get by with minimal electric, minimal heat, minimal water, minimal cooking, etc. than trying to keep your "normal" status quo going.

I believe that's the FIRST question before you embark on all the other prep areas. Redundancy, and not relying on ONE method. I live by the following motto: One is NONE Two is One and THREE is where you want to be This fits all areas of prepping: electric, water, heat, food, lighting, cooking, sanitation, protection, etc. Everyone needs to think along these lines as you plan your contingencies. In some of those categories, I'm at four and five options, not just three.

It's hitting ALL areas.. The Great Worker Shortage Is Causing Basic Services To Really Break Down All Across America Where did all the workers go? That is a great mystery that continues to be unsolved. All over America, businesses are literally hiring anyone with a pulse and there are “help wanted” signs all over the place. But the number of people that are actually working is still close to four million below the pre-pandemic peak. What happened to all of those extra workers? They certainly aren’t on unemployment, because claims for unemployment benefits are the lowest that we have seen “in decades”. So where are they? It is almost as if millions upon millions of people have disappeared from the system completely over the past couple of years. Needless to say, this lack of workers is having a dramatic impact on the delivery of basic services all over the country. Our society is in the process of collapsing all around us, and now we have gotten to a point where even our most basic services are starting to fail. I wish that I could tell you that 2022 is going to be better, but I can’t do that, because it wouldn’t be the truth. https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/great-worker-shortage-causing-basic-services-really-break-down-all-across-america